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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28590975">Fire and Ice, Inbetween The Two</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohsko/pseuds/ohsko'>ohsko</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hades (Video Game 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:34:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,110</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28590975</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohsko/pseuds/ohsko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zagreus believes his life is only on fire and ice. There is nothing besides them that he can hold in his hands</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hypnos &amp; Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Hypnos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fire and Ice, Inbetween The Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My life is only on fire and ice. Fire makes my body move faster; I can't stay in one spot to avoid burning barefoot. Ice forms my ideas; I can't think of anything except how to survive in the cold place. Fire boils the blood, my arms dancing dynamically, and the sword slashing foes into pieces. Ice chills my head, my eyes catching enemies and the spear piercing their hearts straight. These are everything that my bloody journey has. Nothing beside them. Nothing.</p>
<p>I was in bed when I opened my eyes. I realized I had fallen asleep for the first time when I woke up. I didn't remember what had happened to me at all. A comfy warm comforter embraced me softly, my thoughts scattering in the air. I raised my upper body and looked around. The room was dark and silent—no light illuminating around me nor someone complaining about me having overslept. I got a feeling like I was lost on the way, although I was in my own chamber. The slight chill made my shoulders shiver, and I realized that I was almost naked with only pants on. I blinked several times to wake my foggy brain up, collected my clothes and thoughts, and then tried to get my body out of bed. But the moment my burning right sole touched and heated the floor of my room, someone’s hand seized my arm. I turned my face back to bed with a little surprise and noticed that he was here, maybe had been from the beginning. He, The God of Sleep, rubbed his sleepy eye and said. “Where are you goin’?”</p>
<p>"Hypnos..." I said. "Why are you here?"<br/>
"Well... Just because I brought you here?"<br/>
"Brought me here? What does it mean?"<br/>
"Oh, don't you remember?" He got up and sat on the bed. "You collapsed just after you came up from the pool of Styx. So I took you to bed and..."<br/>
"Wait, you did that? I didn't know you were such a mighty man."<br/>
"Oh yeah, that's my secret. Keep it in your mind." He yawned. " But it was really tough. I was dead tired. so I was sleeping beside you, haha."<br/>
"You needed a specific reason for sleeping, huh? Anyway, thanks, Hypnos. I don't know why I passed out, though."</p>
<p>And then, I tried to stand up, but Hypnos pulled me to the bed again. My butt fell on the softness with powerful force. I had completely forgotten his secret already.</p>
<p>"Hey, where are you goin'? I did tell you that you collapsed, right? You are definitely exhausted. Need more rest."<br/>
"I don't think so. I'm not tired anymore."<br/>
"Are you sure? Yeah, sure, your body was back soon after you died without a single wound. However, your soul must have experienced fear, pain, and death over and over. Do you know? Most existence feels deadly pain just once. They die JUST ONCE. But you, not. So You need to sleep, not for your body, but your heart."<br/>
"Nah..."</p>
<p>His voice had a somewhat earnest tone, and it made me a bit confused. Maybe he was right. Rest was necessary to me. I had already tried escaping from the underworld uncountable times but never made it. My body was fine because it was always reborn to brand-new. But as he mentioned, my mind... I didn't know. How many more times would I have to fail? How many more times would I have to be slain down until I could get to the surface? My journey was like a maze cave where I look for the hidden exit. Sometimes, just sometimes, I had felt serious fatigue.<br/>
Did he notice that? I couldn't push the voice out smoothly, it was as if something was stuck in my throat. I had no idea what to say to his -indeed wise- words. What I could get it out was only a meaningless apology. "I'm sorry, Hypnos. But I need to go."</p>
<p>"You must still have plenty of time to lie down on the bed and close your eyes." Hypnos spread his arms out as if showing me himself as proof. "We are gods, aren't we?"<br/>
But I looked away from his straightforward eyes. "I have no time."<br/>
"Why not?"<br/>
"Sorry. Need to go now."<br/>
"'Sorry' is not a word I want, Zagreus. You should just say, 'Okay, Hypnos, the Great God of Sleep, I shall go back to the warm bed and sleep.' easy peasy."<br/>
"No."<br/>
"Why!?"<br/>
"I'm afraid!" I shouted. "... I'm afraid that I perhaps would give up escaping if I stayed in a cozy place...." </p>
<p>Silence laid down between us. I didn't see his face, but his upset was being conveyed in the air to me. </p>
<p>"I-I don't think you will give up..." Hypnos broke the silence. "You won't... never. Y-you always come up the pool, head straight to the gate, and try to climb to the surface! You never stopped doing this. I have seen it every time from the beginning!"<br/>
"I believe I won't," I said, looking down the floor. "But occasionally, I can't keep the confidence."<br/>
"Due to this cozy place? No way! You hate the house, right?"<br/>
"Ha, It's true. I don't like this house so much. Yet I have a favorite place too... that is cozy, peaceful, soft, and warm. As I am there, sometimes I'm likely to forget the coldness of Tartarus, the heats of Asphodel, the mortification of defeat, the pain of death... anything suffering me. That's why..."</p>
<p>I stretched my hand and cupped the outlines of his face.<br/>
I said.</p>
<p>"That's why I can't sleep with you, mate."</p>
<p>He didn't say anything anymore. Hypnos just watched me with a wondering look, the golden eyes rocking somewhat.</p>
<p>"Sorry, Hypnos. Need to go."</p>
<p>I smiled at him, stroking up his cheek to his head as kindly as I could. My hand dug into his curly gray hair, fingers tangled with its softness as if they were saying something instead of us. But as I said, I needed to leave.<br/>
Taking my hand off from him, I moved my burning feet to the exit. I never turned back. He never detained me anymore. We would meet again later, but we wouldn't talk about this matter further. </p>
<p>My life is only on fire and ice. Fire makes my body move faster, and Ice forms my ideas. To achieve my aspiration, I shouldn't stop running and thinking, even if it means losing the warm place, even if it means leaving the precious thing behind.<br/>
Now, I grab the sword and go through the gate. I surely feel my hand is still warm.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You can find me on Twitter @ohsko_the_human</p></blockquote></div></div>
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